Daily Life and Practicing God’s presence. Acts 6:1-4

Daily Life and Practicing God’s presence.< Acts 6:1-4 >

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< Acts 6:1-4 >

1: In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

2: Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3: And one called out to another and said, “ Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4: And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the Voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

5: Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

6: Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.

 

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Hallelujah! 

On this time, today the word that God gave us is < Isaiah, chapter: 1-4> and with this word, I would like to share with you, the title [Daily Life and Presence of God Practice]. Will you say this out loud just one more time? [Daily life and presence of God practice]. Yes, Thank you.

Was it April, last year? Back then, I had shared Lord’s day’s sermons during the service. Because Pastor Song went to lead the revival in Atlenta city, I got another chance to share sermons with you. Once in a while, when I get a chance to give Sunday sermons, I get deep distress to decide which and what messages I would like to share. And today’s topic was chosen after many thoughts and quiet time.

Do any of you remember from last year, what my topic was that which I have shared with in two different sessions? (I knew it. Thank you. I should have chosen the exact same file I used last year. I’m not talented enough yet where my topic stays with you all. Last year’s topic was “Stand in awe of God” and “familiar fear”.

After sharing each of these topics, I thought to myself which should be my next topic on my next chance. While thinking about this issue, such question raised in my heart. ‘when our hearts get well trained and becomes familiar with standing in awe to God, what could be the next stage. What would be natural after I get familiar with standing in awe to God, and have our hearts well trained.

I thought of a two words thinking of this. One is a word ‘ worship’ and ‘devout’. And I suddenly realized such things as if God is answering to my heart.

‘ So when I make and get familiar to respect God in my heart and in my daily life, one becomes longing more to give worship and praise, and long to experience God’s presence. Then with faith that was given to us, we would get a desire to live a life of devotion and willing to fight. Then this is the complete 3step set. I realized that such series is [Respect – Praise- Devotion]. 

Let’s say this in one voice. [Respect- Praise- Devotion] so called [경.경.경 series, because these three words all starts with 경 in Korean].

Therefore, this is why I chose to talk about ‘Praising Life’ which is the next step to respect life. So to do this, today’s theme is ‘daily life and presence of God practice’ and look over Isaiah 6. To give hints, our next topic would be ‘devotion’. To give out ahead of time, the title for next theme is going to be ‘ Walk along and Devotion practice.’

Dearest, my beloved fellow members,

When our hearts are trained well with standing in awe with God, we long to experience presence of God and have passion to Praise and worship. In other words, when our hearts were well connected to God and are trained to feel and depend on presence of him in our hearts, we would always long to experience his presence even in our normal daily life and would think this kind of longing to be obvious.

Presence of God is not something that occurs once a week, for few hours doing the Sunday service, in the church. It is actually that over rules all of our time and space, and everything in our daily tasks. God’s presence should be amazing experiences where we feel his presence and have our hearts praise him 24/7.

 Dearest, my beloved fellow members,

Today, we are here devoting one hour of our time and hearts for God. We are here leaving behind all the busy world life and resting time. I’m so glad that we are able to gather like this to worship him. Why don’t we tell people around you. “I’m glad you can worship him today”

However, what is equally important as devoting one hour to worship is the life we will be living from Monday, after leaving this service. To continue experience God’s presence in our daily lives. In fact, I would say experiencing God’s presence in our daily lives is more important than during this service. We should be more thankful that we live within presence of God in our daily lives than this thankful one hour of service to worship.

This one hour of Lord’s day service devotion to experience God’s presence should be able to continue our daily lives with aspiration and joy with God’s presence. Our daily hours and in the place of our lives should leave a fragrance of God’s presence.

Just like when we drink Coffee or eat BBQ for about an hour, its smell stays with us for a while, the fragrance of this short Lord’s day service to stay with us even after we leave this place through out the week.

God’s presence should last much longer than the short service period on Sundays. Instead, it should be able to connect to our daily worship to our God. Let’s ask to our selves today.

Am I surrendered by our amazing and magnificent God? Is my life filled with overwhelming God’s presence? Do we feel God’s presence on Monday when we go back to our daily tasks?

God wants us to be in his temple where ever we are. God wants us to become his holy nation as a holy priests and temple where he can stay. No matter where we work, God asks us to continue worship with love and joy.

We can love someone only after getting to know that person better. And in order to be close to that person, we have to think of that person very often. My friends, how many times do you think of God on your daily tasks?

Friends,

How can we think of God and experience his presence on our daily lives?

Does it look like I live a life to experience God’s presence more than you? It is true that I may seem to have more chance to live like that. Because I am a pastor and I come to church every day and attend to serve the worship service everyday of the week, it may seem so.

To give out answers first, I am as weak as you are. If I can live a life to experience God’s presence through our daily lives just by coming to church every day, I would look much more holy than I look right now. And to be honest, it is true that I should be able to experience God’s presence everyday because I come to church every day. Because I work and stay in the church every day.

But what is ironic is that being a pastor, being in the church, the hours I spent in church because I come to work at church every day, is not enough to practice God’s presence. If practicing God’s presence is this hard for such person like me, who stays in church the most, how hard it could be for all of you. In the drop of salty sweats that you make starting every Monday morning, at your work rather is at cleaners, dealing with customers who uses hard to understand languages, making orders at your sandwich store, looking and wondering who would come to buy your items in your store, on the road traffic that you experience every day, with children testing your patience. In the daily life as such, it really is not easy practicing God’s presence. It would be considered good enough if you thought of God for an hour during the week.   

A.W Tozer has mentioned in his book ‘Whatever happened to Worship’ as such. “Many people seem to think that they have placed God into a box. To them, God only exists in the church. After they leave outside of the church building and drove back to home, they feel like they have left God in the big large box. Of course, you are not going to think that you think as such. But, think hard to see if you really haven’t.”

God doesn’t only stay in this worshiping space. God is who exists in unevenly distributed space. Meaning, God can not only exists everywhere, but in every environment, time, and space. And God wishes to present in our existence. God who exists overruling time and space, wants to be in our existence. God’s presence is a place where God’s being has met his existence.

There is one special uniqueness to Christians that are different from the world. Which is living a life to experience God’s presence. Many Christians believes in God’s existence status but continues to live a life without God’s presence in their daily lives.

We need to learn to rest in Loving God’s presence during when we are happy or sad. Where is our true resting place and comfort? It is living a life experiencing God’s presences, continue to practice trying to feel God’s presence on our daily life.

In order to do so, we need to think of how we can experience God’s presence in our daily life, what kind of God’s presence should we expect? How can we change Sunday’s service to every day’s service.

Today, I wish that we are able to find how and what practices we should make to feel God’s presence by looking into Isaiah 6: 1-4.

Today’s chapter, Isaiah chapter 6 is typically called ‘Book of hope’ where Isaiah is called. At the same time, it is a scene where fantasy of God’s presence is shown. Like this, in Isaiah chapter6 can be called ‘ God’s presence and worship and hope’ all show up at the same time. First verse describes how Isaiah witnessed fantasy of God’s presence and how he experienced God’s calling.

Isaiah 6:1- In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of Hid robe filling the temple.

Isaiah states that he saw God sitting on a throne in the year of King Uzziah’s death. Periodically, this is around 740 B.C. Prophet Isaiah was a person who preached messages in South Judah. The fact that King Uzziah died would have been despairing and shocking news to his citizens. King Uzziah who had lead peaceful life to his citizens in his period, and news of his death meant to the citizens that peaceful period has ended.

If you look at Isaiah, chapter5, Prophet Isaiah sends our message that Assyria would come to attack. This is the prophesy of a crises that Judah would go through.

Isaiah 5:26 – He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, And will whistle for it form the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.

Like this, in such a devastating situation, death of good king Uzziah would have shocked Isaiah much.  When Judah’s future was at most dark, he had walk to the temple and there he saw a true King of earth, Jehovah sitting in a throne who is much more powerful and almighty than King Uzziah.

In the period when Isaiah was making this messages, Judah was going through deep and serious corruption of spirits and problem of sins. People were only longing for worldly materials and addicted to its comfort and temporal joy. Longing of God and true worship was gone long, and only its shape and fake services existed.

Fear of God was lacked, no respect nor familiarity was gone in Judah. Instead, only hatred and ignorance toward God existed during this period. It was so bad that God even refused all the offerings from the service. Citizens were corrupted to the point that they were even heard him saying “ the offerings you bring me makes me puke”.

According to Isaiah 1,  prophet sends straight warning to citizens in Judah. In this chapter he cries out to the citizens sending out God’s messages.

“An ox know its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand. Alas, sinful nation, Peple weighed down with iniquity.”

This message expresses God’s desperate feeling  towards his people. Isaiah continues,

“”What are your multiplied sacrifices to me? Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts?”

The messages clearly states that God refuse to receive fake services and offerings. God asks, “Who requires of you?” People may have gathered in the temple claiming they are there to worship God, but to God, they were just taking space in his yard.

How do you take this message? This shows that even the program of service and worship has occurred and occupied, they were lacking God’s presence. Failed service such as this were occurring in the period of Isaiah. So many fake worshipers who doesn’t long for God’ presence were filling the churches. God even had to picked on them. That’s how corrupted they were. This is the result of a worshiper who lacks longing of God’s presence.

My beloved fellow members, How do you think God considers us as?

Are we being the worshiper who God is seeking for? Or are we being the one God would pick out and throw away?

Biggest and most challenging temptation is becoming such fake worshiper. If you haven’t felt single presence of God during last 52 weeks of Sunday services, you truly are at risk. We are not here to judge the styles of sermon, praise, and how the program of service was designed. Today’s service should be to you a service that cleans you by sacrificing you as his offering.

Many people who visited our church for the first time says they like our service styles. I have also went to another church to preach and felt once more that I too, like the styles of our service. But my friends, depending on God does not rely on styles of Sunday service, but falling into God’s presence. The very experience that we got from the service shall be continued to practice on our challenging worldly life. I wish to you all that on your daily life without any instruments, no sermons, no stage design, to practice God’s presence.

Last Sunday and Monday, there was a black out of electricity service in Diamond bar areas. Do you remember how hot it was last Sunday? And Monday also was really hot. My thermometer showed more than 100 degrees. During this situation, it was very difficult experience to live without electricity for two days.

First, air conditioner didn’t work. During night, no lights worked. I couldn’t be connected to internet and I couldn’t use computer. Cel phone couldn’t be charged and garage door didn’t open. I couldn’t even took out the car since I didn’t know how to manually open the garage door. While I was complaining hot weather and darkness, my wife had bigger worries. It was the fact that foods that are stored in our refrigerator are getting rotten because it’s not working properly. If any of man here worried about refrigerator foods during black out, it must be the proof that that’s how much you  love your wife.

It was very uncomfortable and difficult living without electricity. All the connections, all the remotes has stopped working. Then around 4am next morning, electricity came back fixed. I’m sure every one who lived around us were having equally difficult situation. After a difficult day, when switch were pushed, the light came on in the house and everything started working properly. Things that weren’t working just the night before started to work normally just with fact that electricity had come back connected.

Then I realized. Even living without electricity is this difficult and uncomfortable, making all the food to go rotten, how serious it would be for Christians to live a life without feeling uncomfortable for not experiencing God’s presence.

Friends, We all have switch of faith. However, in order to have this switch work properly, we need to have energy source which is God’s connection. And this is what is God’s presence. With continuous respect and worshiping longings, stay connected to God’s presence and stay logged on during our daily lived with God’s presence. Connect with God.

Many of you use smart phones these days. And many of fellow members use smart phone application called ‘katalk”. It seems everyone knows what that application is. And we check our smart phones often to check if we have received any messages. When I get Katalk messages, my phone makes a sound of ‘katalk, katalk’. We often even here this ‘katalk’ messages during services too. I even get katalk messages from Korea and it notifies me even when I’m sleeping. How comfortable has this world has become. When I have a good relationship with my wife, Katalk messages make smooth noise. And on the days when we argue little, even katalk messages sound little upset.

We check our katalk messages multiple times during the day. But friends,

If God is sending us a katalk messages, are you checking his messages? Do you heart to katalk with God? If God had smart phones and were to send us a katalk messages, we would have received so many. Yet, we ignore his katalk messages. We are not sensitive to his words. In technical terms, ‘we dis his katalk messages.’.

Practicing God’s presence during daily life is same with sharing Katalk conversation with God. Staying sensitively connected to him and checking for his messages and look into his hearts

Today’s verse, Isaiah 6 shows how God wishes us to experience his presence in our daily lives and in worship services by reviewing fantasy of Isaiah God’s calling to him and citizens of Judah who has failed to practice God’s presence. This verse was very special experience even for Isaiah. After losing a king that they had depended on, and knowing the attacks of foreign countries, God is showing to Isaiah who he should really depend on as his true King. This is why Isaiah was allowed to see this fantasy like a movie.

God sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Around God, spiritual being, Seraphim, praising the lord. There is a song even made with this verse.

“Lord sitting on a throne, with train of his robe filling the temple. Angles are gathers and Praise to him with each other and such sound fills the temple. Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.”

There is 3 words that we need to pay our attention to in this song. That is [ throne – holy- glory].

First thing to remember while practicing God’s presence during our daily tasks, is having God sit on my life’s throne. Then practice the God’s presence by standing towards the throne. The fantasy and place where Isaiah experienced God’s presence is the temple. What did Isaiah saw? He saw Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted. Practice the God’s presence by standing towards the throne. In order to meet our God, we need to go to where he is. First thing to do when we practice God’s presence is to announce that God being your Kind and accept him. Let our Lord king sit in my throne. Announcing that God being my king means a determination that I will not sit in my king’s spot and it is a choice. Let God be a master of our lives.

Also, practicing God’s presence means sitting Lord in my throne once more, if you have failed before. Let Lord God find his proper place in my heart. Isaiah surely saw the fantasy. He saw the lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted. And the train of his robe was filling the temple, as if it flew from the throne.

Once again, announce to yourself that God is a king of your life. Let God be your master. In order to do so, we first need to accept him as king of our hearts and invite him. Although God already exists in our hearts, give him the place of throne from where he was pushed away to guest place.

Next, pay attention to the praising of Seraphim filling out.

Isaiah, 6:3 : And one called out to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.

Seraphim flies with two wings and avoid to see almighty God’s glory which is too amazing to watch, by cover their eyes with two wings. With other two wings, they hide their feet, a symbolism of a self shame. What is more amazing is that, their doing this work without any rest.  They face each other and sings. Holy,Holy,Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of his glory. Staying near Lord’s throne, they are experiencing God’s presence without a rest, praising, confessing God’s presence.

The reason why Holy was repeated three times is to express God is perfect and completely Holy. The word “The Lord of hosts” shows his majesty  ruling this world and all universe. The name of God’s presence is “The Lord of hosts”.

In today’s verse, we are seeing a weak and small existence of a Isaiah over whelmed by “The Lord of hosts” who rules time and space and all universe, coming to meet him.

A life experiencing God’s presence is fighting hard to show Lord’s holiness through our lives. God’s presence comes fastest when I’m Holy. God said, “you shall be holy, for I am holy”.

1 peter 1:15,16:  But like the Holy one who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am Holy”

The life that is most fitting the God is living Holy. However, the problem is instead of becoming closer to God with Holiness into our lives to experience God’s presence, we become farther away from God’s presence with our own life’s holiness.

We must praise God’s holiness in our everyday life and fight hard to keep it. His Holiness must show in every aspect of our lives. Only Holy should be the center mechanism of our lives. When we practice his presence in our daily lives, our lives will be filled with God’s glory.

Final step to practicing God’s presence is showing out God’s glory. I always share this message whenever I open a seminar for the service. “When God comes in presence, He’s kingdoms comes and his rule begins and his glory shows.”

My beloved fellow members,

Do you wish to fill your everyday life with God over ruling worldly things? Do you wish to walk with God at his presence? Be close to him than anyone, anything else in the world? Then why hasn’t this happening often as wish to?

There is only one answer to this. God is not allowing us to do so.

In order to do so, God must sit in the throne, lofty and exalted in our hearts. Inviting God to be the central of my life is where God’s presence begins. May be God’s place were already filled with something else in your heart. With “Money, authority, greed, worldly needs” replaced with God’s place, we come to church and give Sunday service.

It doesn’t matter where you are, rather it is at church or Work or home, School, God must sit in the central throne in your life. And your life must be used to show God’s glory, praising His holiness. When this truly happen, His kingdom will come and His ruling will begin and His glory will start showing. To people who lives a life, looking up at Lord’s throne, and practicing God’s presence, sings following naturally.

Since I started for the Kingdom, Since my life He controls, Since I gave my heart to Jesus, The longer I serve him, The sweeter He grows. The longer I serve him, the sweeter he grows. The more that I love him, more love he bestows; Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows, The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grow.

How wonderful it would be if in our everyday life, God’s presence becomes more practicable and wanting to confess with flowing confessions.

Andrew Mauray, man of prayer, have said “Daily life is like an important test we take for the eternal world. It is a practice to enjoy the eternal life” the method to enjoy eternal things in our daily life is practice God’s presence.

In the middle century, a monk named Brother Rolance, that I would like to share. He served in the kitchen for 10 years. He spent his life cooking meals to fellow monks and washing dishes. His day was running like boring routine and tiring. His work were all tedious works such as washing dishes, fixing shoes, cleaning bathrooms, and cutting potatoes. Yet, because he felt and communicated with God who existed in every work he did, he was able to stay enjoying his work. Many people asked him. “How could you stay so happy while doing work that all the other people avoids to do?” and Brother Rolance answered. “My daily work tasks are not any different from a time that I spent worshipping God. Even within all the noises in the kitchen, even when everyone asks me to do many things at once, My God who brings peace and comfort stays with me as if I’m kneeled before his throne. Even flipping fried eggs are done to love God more. When I’m done doing all the work given to me and have nothing else to do, I kneel down and praise my God who gracefully allowed me to successfully finish the job. Everything I do is a practice to God’s presence. I practice to stay next to God’s presence.”

As if Surfers practice surfing in order to surf better, we Christians must practice God’s presence in order to experience God’s presence. Those who longs for God’s presence must learn how it can be done.

Lastly, I would like to dare challenge you.  Is this Sunday service being a worship of God’s presence or a funeral of him? Am I experience God’s presence in my daily life or experiencing God missing. Is my practice staying hot as boiling volcano or cold as ice berg? God wishes our church filled with his presence and glory. Christianity grows relevant to God’s presence.

“ Lord! Fill our church with your presence. Fill more and more into our lives. Over rule my daily life!” crying out such is what is Daily life and presence of God practice.

I bless all of you so that you be GSC’s member who is able to confess such confession and fight hard on your daily lives to practice God’s presence.

 

Benediction: 2Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.